Witness says Brockton cop sped off after slamming pedestrian

BROCKTON – Nathan Godley Jr. said he believes a Brockton police officer struck a pedestrian during a car chase early Saturday morning, drove off and then tried to cover it up.Brockton police said they were involved in a car chase at 2:12 a.m. Saturday in pursuit of a black Chevrolet Trailblazer.

A short time later, police received multiple 911 calls about an unconscious man on the sidewalk at the corner of Haverhill and Turner streets. Police said they are investigating whether the two incidences are connected.

Lt. Robert Sergio said the fleeing driver went up and down several side streets “in the Walnut Street area.”

Godley was on a third-floor porch with his stepmother and brother facing Turner Street when he said they saw a black SUV come speeding down Turner Street from Haverhill Street just after 2 a.m.

Seconds later, he said, they heard a loud ‘BOOM’ and then saw a Brockton Police SUV in pursuit down Turner Street toward Wyman Street.

“I didn’t see the kid get hit by the police car but I heard a boom, then the police car sped off,” Godley, 20, said. “He had his blue lights on chasing the car still.”

He claims there was no way it could have been the black SUV that struck the man because it was already about 100 yards down the street when he heard the noise and saw the police cruiser.

They did not know the man had been struck until Godley stepsister, Tawanda Council, came home minutes later and found a black man in his early 20s with dreadlocks lying on the sidewalk bleeding.

She said the man’s body was limp and there was a lighter and a broken cigarette on the ground next to him and called 911 at 2:25 a.m.

“At first I thought it was a bag and then I seen the shoe,” Council said. “I called the police.”

Godley was with his family outside their house waiting for the ambulance to come when police arrived.

He said he overheard one police officer say to another, “What the hell did you do?” and another officer replied, “I didn’t even know I hit him.”

Godley then said he saw police officers wiping the front of a SUV police cruiser.

“They wiped down in front of the SUV because it was a SUV police cruiser that was chasing him,” Godley said. “They’re trying to cover it up because they hit him.”

“We was trying to tell them and he was like ‘Yo, you guys better get upstairs’ to me and my brother ‘before you get arrested,’” Godley said.

The man was taken to a Brockton hospital and was later taken to Boston Medical Center where he was unresponsive Saturday morning, Sergio said.

Brockton Police Chief Robert Hayden said there was no damage to any cruisers that were involved in the chase Saturday.

He said the matter is under investigation.

“The state police accident investigation team is investigating and two detectives are going to the hospital asking the guy what happened,” Hayden said. “I’m going to talk to all of the potential witnesses.”

Godley said he was upset that it was his stepsister who had to call for an ambulance and not the police.

“The kid is gasping for air. If you’re chasing after someone at least call the ambulance or call for back-up,” Godley said. “If any one of us hit someone, we’re getting locked up for life.”

Hayden said they are also investigating the chase involving the Trailblazer. The chase started after an officer attempted to pull the car over for a traffic violation.

Police found the SUV crashed into a parked car on North Montello Street. They said the three suspects in the car fled.

Benjamin Paulin may be reached at bpaulin@enterprisenews.com.

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